Arsenal Transfer Tracker: Week of June 17 News and Rumours

Arsenal's season has only just ended, so you know what that means: Transfer season is upon us once again!

Yes, with no actual football to occupy ourselves with over the long summer, we must desperately speculate about any potential arrivals and departures at the Emirates Stadium.

Perhaps there might actually be a summer of big spending in the cards for Arsenal? The club is flush with money from new sponsorship deals, and chief executive Ivan Gazidis has reiterated the organization's desire to challenge for the title again.

Throughout the week, I'll be keeping this slideshow updated with the latest Arsenal transfer stories, complete with some holistic analysis. Make sure to check back regularly.

Is Laurent Koscielny Aching for a Move?

It only took a couple comments from Laurent Koscielny's agent this past week to send the rumor mill into overdrive with stories declaring that his departure from Arsenal is imminent.

Koscielny, who placed second in Arsenal.com's Player of the Season poll, was absolutely fantastic at the back for the Gunners, especially when they needed him to be late in the season. His stellar performances consistently kept Thomas Vermaelen out of the team, and left no doubt that the captain would not return.

It is reasonable to expect, then, that excellent teams would be interested in signing him.

However, Koscielny's contract with Arsenal runs until 2017, so the club has all the leverage in transfer negotiations. It would be very surprising to see him go anywhere this summer.

Ever Heard of Dimitri Payet?

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

If reports such as this one in the Daily Mailare true, Arsenal could be poised to sign their second winger from Lille in three years.

First Gervinho walked into the Emirates Stadium with his aimless dribbling and water gun shot, and Dimitri Payet might be next. Though he plays in Ligue 1, 12 goals and 13 assists are fantastic statistics, and any attention that he attracts is understandable.

However, could it be that an overeager journalist saw that Payet is French and plays in a forward position and immediately linked him with a move to Arsenal? We shall have to wait to find out.

Arsenal Have Been Added to the List of Nani's Potential Destinations

Few would be surprised if Nani departs Old Trafford this summer in search of pastures new, but don't expect that new land to be the pitch at the Emirates Stadium.

Sure, Metrohave suggested that Arsenal are the "front-runners" to snatch the Portuguese winger, but I cannot think of a reason why this transfer would make any sense.

While the Gunners do need another striker, they have an adequate supply of wingers. And Nani is not Arsene Wenger's type of player, anyway: selfish and flashy are not traits highly valued by the Frenchman.

Nothing New on Gonzalo Higuain

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Gonzalo Higuain has been at the forefront of Arsenal's rumored transfer targets since the end of the season, with reports indicating that Arsene Wenger is prepared to shatter his transfer record to acquire the clinical Argentine.

BBC Sport's David Ornstein claims that he's Wenger's primary target at striker, and is willing to move:

No Arsenal fan would complain if Higuain actually does complete a transfer to the club, but there are so many variables and obstacles preventing that from happening that it is self-defeating to elevate one's hopes too much.